Beat of Destiny and Other Drabble shorts
by The PowerGoddess
Summary: These are written for Beat of Destiny LJ community. Pairing vary from 1x2, 1x2x5, 2x5x2, 1x2x3x4x5. Fluff, Humor, Angst.
1. Wayward Socks 1x2x3x4x5

Duo hopped around on one foot, sliding the white calf high sock into place. Looking down in disgust, he wiggled his toes in the thin black sock, then the thick white tube. He shook his head, eyes gazing back over the pile of socks he'd pulled from the drawers. He could have sworn he'd placed his 'Color Guard' socks in the top drawer, but he couldn't find the missing three.

"I can't believe this! It just had to be today didn't it?" He sighed loudly, sending a puff of air up into his already ruffled bangs. It wasn't like he didn't own twenty pairs of socks, but today for some damn reason, he could only find one black dress sock and a mound of white athletic socks to wear out of the house. He thought about digging into the other pilots' drawers, but that felt almost like cheating in the sock game. If you couldn't find your own socks…

"Maybe it was that damn dryer monster." Duo mumbled to himself. "The one that loves to steal your socks, leaving you with nothing but mismatched pairs, and handfuls of lint bunnies." His poor kidnapped...er...socknapped footwear was probably locked away somewhere, with all the boxer shorts that had come up missing lately. Three pairs had disappeared in just the past four months. Quatre always said to safety pin your socks together so when they came out of the wash, they'd still be together. Now he wished he'd listened to the blond Arabian.

"Shit! I'm going to look like such a dork if anyone sees this!" Duo scowled down at his feet, hoping by some sort of magic that the white one would change. So far, it hadn't happened.

"Heero! Have you seen my black dress socks?" Duo shouted down the hallway, not daring to step out of his room. He could almost see the hard glare when an answering bark of 'No' came from down the stairs.

"Wufei…" Duo barely had time to say anymore before his Chinese lover shouted back. "No, Duo! I have not seen your damn socks."

"Well, fuck me!" The braided man snapped, looking at the clock. If he fucked around anymore looking for a freaking black sock, he'd be late for the ceremony, and would have to face the wrath of Une. Missing one member of the Color Guard was not an option today.

He tossed on his pants, and ran down the stairs while buttoning his dress uniform shirt. When he reached the bottom of the staircase, Duo stopped dead in his tracks, and his jaw dropped open in shock.

There in the living room stood his four lovers, naked and grinning. Well, almost naked. Three of them were sporting black dress socks over their obviously erect cocks.

"Now I know where my socks went to." Duo half smiled, not sure if he should be angry or quite amused by the little scene. "Why the white sock, Heero?"

"I lost in paper, rock, scissors. Besides, white looks better on me."

"We had to get your attention some way." Quatre answered, his cotton covered hard on swaying as he walked towards the braided man.

"Une called earlier. The ceremony was reschedule until tomorrow." Wufei added, sauntering closer to Duo.

A smirk graced Duo's lips. It was time to retrieve his wayward socks.


	2. Mission Reports 1x2x3x4x5

Une studied the reports in front of her on the large mahogany desk, trying once again to make sense of what was on the pages. After reading through them several times, she had to call in the five agents to decipher what was written.

Calling her secretary, notifying her that the top five agents were on their way and to let them in, Une waited with a luke-warm cup of coffee she had been neglecting.

She didn't need to wait long.

One by one, the former Gundam pilots filed in to the office, taking seats just in front of her desk. Duo seemed cheerful, a huge smile plastered on his face. Wufei looked put out, making it clear that he didn't want to be there. Heero sat with his arms crossed over his chest, blue eyes stealing glances at the other four men in the office with him. Quatre and Trowa didn't seem to mind being there. They took their seats in between Heero and Wufei waiting for the impromptu meeting to start.

"Thank you gentlemen for coming in to see me on such short notice," Une began, steepling her fingers together as she thought of the best way to approach the subject on her mind. "But I have some questions that need to be cleared up before I can files these reports from the last mission."

"Questions?" Heero frowned slightly. "I thought my report was clear on every part of the mission."

"Your report was fine, Heero, I just need to straighten up some discrepancies with the others," she said, leveling her gaze at Duo. Une flipped the first file open, reading out loud.

"Mission Nighthawk, January 15th, 203 A.C. Agents Snuggle Bunny and Huggy Bear were in position near the warehouse shipping docks at 23 hundred hours dressed in sexy black camo gear. Agents Hot Ass and Sexy Stud were stationed on a nearby roof while Agent Cums A Lot deployed into enemy territory to set up explosives." Her eyes left the report, scanning the five men in front of her, each of them with a different expression on their faces. Une cleared her throat before she continued.

"Upon infiltration of warehouse, crates of weapons and ammunition were found along with shipping orders of raw gundanium to be smuggled into Earth Sphere. The company was using a sex toy front to cover up their activities. See exhibit 132." Une held up a plastic evidence bag containing a slightly burnt purple dildo for the room to see.

"Agent Cums A Lot…"

"Cal. Cal for short." Duo piped in with a huge grin on his face, shifting excitedly in his leather seat.

"Agent Cal." She scowled briefly. "Commenced on rigging up explosives to the boxes of dildoes to blow this mother in to the next world…" She paused; slightly aghast at what she was reading out loud.

"Such a waste to such pleasurable items. Please continue, Ma'am. We'd like to know if our reports are consistent." Quatre gave her a small smile. The smile that she knew wasn't entirely innocent. She knew better.

"Agents Snuggle Bunny and Huggy Bear extracted out of enemy territory, not before snagging a few toys, while Hot Ass and Sexy Stud took up sniper positions to ensure their safety. All and all, this was an easy ass mission. We were hoping to blow some bad guys up, but didn't get the chance since they all wussed out on us, but the fireworks at the end were fantastic!" Une was still aspirated by the thought of reading such a report out loud. Leave it to these five men to write the mission report from hell.

"That sounds correct." Heero said, no doubt bored at the reading of the mission report. The four other men nodded their heads in agreement, all presumably happy with the statement.

"You should have seen it! Vibrators and anal beads just raining from the skies!" Duo crowed, wiggling in his seat.

Une could only rub at her temples, trying in vain to fend off a monstrous headache that was lurking somewhere behind her eyes. She would really need the rest of the day off and some major aspirin just to get rid of the pain. Or maybe just a very long vacation away from one Duo Maxwell.

"Maxwell, the next time you submit a report that reads like an action-packed porno, I'll have you working down in the Preventers' laundry so fast it will make your head spin. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal, ma'am." The braided man grinned widely, almost bouncing in his seat with unspent energy.

"Good, I've seen the laundry that comes in and I'm sure you'll want to stay away." All five men cringed at the thought. They have done their own laundry, and if that was a bare hint of what to expect, they rather not!

"No more explosives either! That much damage to the warehouse district was uncalled for, especially for our clean up team." She grimaced at the thought of her clean up crew sweeping up phalluses and other sexual aids lying on the streets, besides other debris.

"Snuggle Bunny and Huggy Bear, I have a stake out for you to take, and no more pilfering evidence from a crime scene for your own use!" Trowa had the decency to blush, hiding his face behind the fall of his hair.

"Sexy Stud, you're wanted down in the gym for a demonstration in fifteen minutes. One that does not include the karma sutra." Wufei grumbled under his breath, something about wicked onnas.

"Dismissed! I do not want to see any of you until next Monday."

The five men stood quickly, filing out just as they came in.

"Agent Hot Ass." Une called out to the last man to leave the room.

Heero stopped, turning his head towards his Commander, blank expression still present on his face.

"Keep Cal in line or all of you will be in some serious shit."

"Understood, Commander." With a nod, Heero closed the door behind him.

Lady Une flopped back in her chair with a giant sigh. "I really need a vacation!"


	3. Food for Thought 1x2x3x4x5

I never really realized how different our diets are from one another. I mean we do have our junk food, our comfort foods, and the food that none of us will touch with a ten foot pole.

The grocery list I'm going over is a diversified as our nationalities. Rice, teas of different sorts, pesto, wasabi paste, chili pepper, figs Etc, Etc, Ect. It's going to take me hours getting everything on this list, and I'm not sure I can get it all in one stop, either.

Quatre doesn't eat pork, but you haven't seen anything until you've seen him wolf down a hamburger with all the extras. He also loves peaches, and we all love watching him eat the juicy fruit, licking the nectar as it runs down his hands.

Trowa dislikes a lot of greasy foods, but give him a tomato based dinner, and he'll make sure there are no left overs for the next day. I often find him curled up in the late evening with a bowl of just plain vanilla ice cream, and a look of pure bliss across his handsome face.

Wufei has a dislike of the hot and spicy foods I, for one, really like, and the others hate me after I eaten them. Wonder why? Fei's secret passion is potato chips if you can believe that. I've seen plenty of bags of those fried taters come up missing from the pantry shelves.

Heero has a love of fresh fish and vegetables. The colonies really didn't have a lot of fresh fruit or veggies, and I'm sure he's making up for lost time. There has to be some sort of snacking vegetable in the fridge or one served at dinner or he's not happy. It makes pizza night interesting, that's for sure. I have to make sure he gets a veggie delight all for himself.

As for me, I'm not really picky. After living on the streets as a child, you learned not to be picky as to where or what your next meal was going to be. Sister Helen always made sure we ate our canned veggies and the day old bread. My comfort comes from the smell of cinnamon that she used to make rolls with each Sunday morning for all of us.

The first time Trowa made rolls with extra cinnamon and rich icing, I cried. I was so ashamed of the tears pouring from my eyes that I hid for hours outside in a tree, away from prying lovers. I never thought in a million years that a simple spice would bring a grown man to cry.

"Duo, what are you doing? I thought you left already." My blond lover has come into the kitchen, empty teacup in hand.

"Just double checking the grocery list. Don't want anyone getting mad that I forgot something."

"Let me see it, I'll make sure for you." He grabs up the lengthy piece of paper and starts to run through all the items. He grabs up my pencil, scribbling something down at the bottom before handing it back.

"Don't forget my peaches." He smiles, turning to head back to his office down the hall. Too bad he missed my raunchy smile. We'll all be enjoying peaches, and Quatre, later tonight!


	4. In the Line of Fire 2x5x2

Intel was totally wrong! How in the hell could Intel think that there was only a skeleton crew working on this base when a whole damn company of baddies came out of nowhere?

Bullets whizzed by Duo's head as he shot out from his hiding place to take up another position to pick off the men that seemed to have the Preventers at a major disadvantage.

"Pull back, I repeat, pull back." Wufei barked over the com unit, ordering his squad to get the hell out of there.

"Get them out of here now, Shadow! I'll provide cover fire until they're all out." Duo called as he continued to fire at the stronghold in front of him. Bright plumes of gold and gray helped him in picking out the right area to concentrate fire as the other agents made their escape quickly.

"Duo, get your ass out of there now!"

"No can do, Fei. I'm pinned down out here. Regroup or something, I'll be fine."

"I don't think so, Maxwell. We never leave a man behind, _never_!"

"Don't do it, Fei! Get those agents out of here and that's an order!"

"I don't take orders from you! I'm coming in to get you."

"God damn it!" Duo gritted his teeth, trying to back himself out of the cover of safety to make a run for it. He didn't want to be rescued like some damsel in distress; he was a former Gundam pilot for God's sake! He could make it out himself without the help of his lover or other agents. He got himself into this mess; he could certainly get himself out of it.

Wufei had made sure that the majority of the squad was out of harm's way before barreling into the firefight to reach his lover. Duo was never one to back down easily, but this riled the Chinese man to the core. Diving over a pile of rubble, somersaulting into a low crouch, he fired on the enemy as he inched his way towards the last place he'd seen his lover hiding.

"Maxwell!"

"Fuck! Over here, Chang!" More bullets were exchanged between them and the enemy. Dark eyes squinted, making out the long braid trailing into the dirt and grime through the thick cloud of gun smoke and dust.

"I'm almost out of ammo, so if you have a plan you better execute it soon." Duo's pained voice came above the sound of ricocheting metal. Wufei could only nod, rolling once more to fit in beside Duo.

"McKenzie is on the com calling for back up."

"Good, because I'd like to blow this popsicle stand right now."

"Status, Maxwell." Wufei growled, dropping an empty clip on to the ground before slamming a fresh one into his pistol.

"Nothing I can't handle at the moment."

"That's not an answer. Now give me your damn status!"

"Shit, Fei!" Duo growled out, turning to face his dark haired lover. "I'm fine, just a few scratches."

"You call a bullet hole in your shoulder a few scratches? I'd like to see what you call serious." Wufei ripped part of his jacket, pressing the torn cloth against the bleeding wound.

"It's okay, Fei. It's nothing serious. We've had worse in the war, I'm sure."

"This isn't the war anymore, damn it. We should be able to go home every night and not worry about shit like this. Hold pressure on it, I'm going to find a way to extract us."

"You should have stayed where it was safe, dumb ass. I could have gotten myself out of here."

"You know I couldn't leave you behind." Wufei shook his head, "Never."

"Love you, too." Duo smiled, clumsily getting himself up to follow.

Wufei grabbed his hand, interlacing their fingers together. "Ready?" With the nod of his lover's head, the Chinese man led the way to safety.

"I'm sorry for bleeding all over your clothes." Duo said sheepishly, leaning back against the hospital bed, head turned towards his lover.

"Don't worry about it, just make sure it never happens again."

"Sorry that you got shot saving my ass."

"It's okay, Duo. I wasn't about to leave you behind…never."


	5. Maxwell Style 2x5x2

Guests from all over the Earth and Colonies filled the small cathedral, from high-ranking political officials to Preventers agents. The bridegroom looked nervous, beads of sweat gathered on his forehead and trickled down the side of his face as they all awaited the bride that stood behind the closed doors.

"I can't believe she's getting married." Duo whispered, his eyes darting around the pews that held so many people. This had to be the biggest wedding he'd ever been to!

"I can believe it. She really deserves this." Wufei whispered back, adjusting his bow tie so it would stop strangling him. He spotted Trowa and Quatre several rows up; heads bent together talking while everyone waited for those doors to open.

The organist was playing a quiet melody as the bridesmaids and flower girls came down the aisle dressed in pastel blue dresses. Duo smiled at the sight of the adorable little girls, pigtails tied with blue curling ribbons, as they walked past them slowly, dropping rose petals.

As the wedding party settled in front of the wide steps, the music changed to the familiar wedding march. The guests stood, all turning to see the doors open.

Lady Une stood at the open doors, her beautiful dress flowing about her like some fairytale gown. Heero Yuy looked dapper in a black tuxedo standing at her side.

"I can't believe he got suckered into walking her down the aisle." Duo snickered lightly in his lover's ear.

"It could have been worse. He could actually be the one marrying her." Duo had to bite back the snort of amusement before they caused a scene. Nope, they weren't going to spoil Une's special day, no way, no how!

Wufei laced his fingers through his lover's as soon as the priest told the guests to be seated. The Archbishop wove words of love, and souls being united as one. Duo's hand giving Wufei's a squeeze, getting his Chinese partner's attention.

As the vows were spoken, Duo repeated them quietly, whispering them into Wufei's ear, substituting his own words for those of the priest.

"Always faithful to my man stud. Love you if you're snot-nosed and puking. Love you when we're too old it get it up. I promise to always be there for you, now and forever."

He was committing himself in Maxwell style to his lover under the white and baby blue bunting of the cathedral.

The Chinese man acknowledged the words with a twinkle in his dark eyes. Yes, their day was coming. The day that they would recite their own vows to one another; the day that they would promise to each other their never-ending love, devotion, and faithfulness. He would ask his lover for his hand in marriage at the reception party in front of their friends and loved ones.

"Are you crying, Duo?"

The braided man looked away, hiding the mist that clouded his blue eyes. "Nope, just my allergies."


	6. One for the Books 2x5x2

I don't know when my mind started to churn out troubled thoughts. Maybe after Une separated us as partners, pairing us with rookies, or when the days and weeks ran together. We were two ships passing in the night, only seeing each other for fleeting moments had my once happy life in turmoil. You see Wufei and myself became lovers just over two year ago, keeping our intimate partnership a secret from everyone, even our closest friends.

The cat so to speak was let out of the bag by accident six months ago. We had gone out to dinner, then a long lingering walk in the downtown park quite late at night. Who knew that we would be seen making out like a teenage couple on the bench near the fountain?

Of course, that Monday back at the office, the rumors spread like wildfire, our secret burned through the ranks all the way to Lady Une herself. I have never been so embarrassed as I was then, sitting with my head bowed as Une snapped at us for our conduct then telling us that we couldn't work together since we were much more than friends. Wufei had snapped back at her, but I'm sure that didn't help our case, only to make it worse.

I miss making love to him, and him making love to me. I miss our talks, or just sitting in silence reading or just cuddling. We do see each other now, but only when I'm climbing out of bed as he's climbing in. Our days off are also scheduled differently, but the days we do see each other are spent catching up on sleep and other household chores.

I think the whispers at work about me falling into depression are correct. I've never felt so alone since we were 'outed' at the office. I sit here in bed, holding his pillow tight to my chest, wishing it were him I was holding just as tightly. I'm scared to admit that we're slipping away. My heart aches at the thought, so much I think it's breaking. Wufei should be home soon with just enough time for me to say hi and goodbye to him, as I get ready to leave for my shift.

I fluff his pillow, putting it back down so that he doesn't know I was molesting it before climbing out of bed and finding my clothes. I was halfway through getting my pants fastened when the bedroom door opened and my exhausted lover shuffled tiredly in.

"Fei? You're either early or I'm running…" That's when the smell of perfume hits me, so strongly that I reel back a few steps before I finished my sentence.

"Early." He responds, yanking at the tie around his neck and tossing it by the nightstand. My mouth has gone dry, my mind going in to a chaotic mess. The warning bells were ringing so loudly that I couldn't hear what he was saying.

He must be telling me about his day, but all I hear is my mind and my breaking heart telling me to run, to hide. Don't let him hurt you; don't let him tell you that he doesn't love you anymore.

_He lost interest in me already? _

_He found someone else since we can't be together like we have in the past? _

_Wasn't I worth it any longer?_

"Duo? Snap out of it. What's the matter?" He shook me roughly, bringing me out of my inner thoughts. Now I could feel my body shaking, my breathing becoming unsteady.

"Didn't you hear a word I've been…"

"Shut up!" The words burst from my lips before I could stop them. I didn't want to hear about his day, I didn't want to hear about the floozy that he had gotten his jollies off with tonight, I didn't…I choked on the lump in my throat before spinning away from him and storming out of the bedroom we've shared for so long.

I thought I would be fast enough to make my escape so I wouldn't have to see him, hear him explain what had happen, to smell that scent that was strangling my senses. I was wrong when I was tackled near the front door, my body slammed into the parquet flooring of the foyer.

I bucked upwards, trying to dislodge his weight from my back, wanting to get the hell out of there before I did something that I might regret.

"Get the fuck off of me, Chang!"

"What the hell is the matter with you?" He grabbed my arms and twisted me over so that he was sitting on my hips, hands grabbing mine and pushing them above my head.

"I said, get the fuck off of me now!" I growled even louder, trying in vain to move him. He wasn't going to budge on this. God damn him!

"Not until you tell me what caused this outburst!" His dark eyes gazed down on me; his arms slamming mine back down as I wrestled to free myself.

"Why don't you tell me? You're the one that came home smelling like you've spent the night in a whore house!" I shouted back in his face.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You fucking reek of perfume. That's what I'm talking about. Didn't you think I wouldn't smell it? Didn't think I would care that you were out there screwing someone other than me, your own lover?" I managed to get one of my hands loose, decking him in the cheek. That was enough to get him to shift his weight so I could get myself up to my feet, ready to run if this came down to blows. Even though I lost him to another, I wouldn't hurt him…I love him too much to do so.

He rolled to his feet, checking the hand that he had pressed to his cheek. Did he really think I would make him bleed? Evidently so, since he's done it twice in our stare down.

"I've never cheated on you, Duo Maxwell." He began, taking a step closer to me. "I pledged my love and faithfulness years ago to you."

I snorted, not sure if I was amused or closer to tears than I realize. "I don't see a damn ring on this finger." I show him my hand, pointing to my bare ring finger. "I didn't sign any paper that declared us domestic partners. If I did, where the hell is it?" I throw my arms up, circling around the room in a grand gesture.

"How could you, Fei? Didn't I mean something even though we don't get to see each other?" Damn it, that lump in my throat is back with a vengeance and no amount of swallowing is dislodging it!

"I've never cheated on you!" He's now shouting, the anger flashing in his dark eyes. I want to shrink away, get out of his way because I know just how fiery his temper can be.

"Do you think I'd go through the hell I went through today just to throw the man I love away?" He paced away from me, fists at his sides.

_Wait a minute…back up here. _

"I don't know where you'd ever get a thought like that in your head." He turns to look right at me. "Are you ready to hear what I said up in the bedroom, or are you going to assume the worst and try running again?" He's right; I didn't hear a word he said upstairs. I thought the worst and jumped headlong into accusing him of finding comfort and pleasure somewhere else.

I could only nod my head, not too sure that I could trust my voice at all.

"I conned Une in letting me off early, before the mall closed this evening. I just wanted to make tonight special." He blurts out, before starting to frantically pace again. "I know you like those special chocolates in that one shop, but I had to detour through that ritzy department store to get there."

Okay, but that doesn't explain… 

"That damn horrible smell is from some teenager spraying perfume at anyone that walked by her. I just happened to cross paths with her." He spun again, tucking his hands deep into his pants pockets.

"I finally get to the chocolate shop, only to find that they don't have any more of those caramel or the truffles in and they won't be in for another day. I couldn't come back here empty handed, so I went to another store and bought us something."

"So you didn't cheat on me?" When had my voice become so weak with need?

"Never." He takes five steps to stand in front of me. "I went to that fancy little jeweler tonight. Damn it, I was going to ask you to marry me! Fuck this is so screwed up!" He turns away from me just before his fist connects with the drywall on the wall beside me.

"Fei!" I grab at his hand knowing he's done some damage to it by the size of the hole in the wall now. He brushes me off, cradling it with his other arm.

"I go through hell just to make you happy and I come home to this?"

Fuck! The hurt look on his face wasn't caused by the pain inflicted on his hand, but by the barbs of my jealousy and suspicion towards him. I'm such a dumb ass I could curl up and cry!

"I'm sorry I just jumped to conclusions. I've been so damn scared that we were drifting apart that I thought that tonight was the night when you came in. I just wanted to get out of here before you ripped out my heart." I slid down the wall, tucking my face into my knees. Great going, Duo Maxwell! You've managed to win the _'Fuck Up of the Year'_ award.

Here we were, both of us silent waiting for something to happen. I wasn't expecting Wufei to just say that everything was roses again and I'm sure he was still pretty pissed at me. How could I do that to him?

I was startled when he slid down the wall to sit next to me, his left hand searching out my right. I open my hand to his, but he only drops a small black pouch into it.

"This is ruining the best thing in our lives." He swallowed thickly, his voice just a mere whisper to my ears.

"I can't lose that. I can't lose the one that I'm so deeply in love with." I shiver at his words feeling that lump come back once again. I just wish it would go away and leave me alone!

"Une will have an ultimatum tomorrow. If we can't go back as partners, working the same shifts, then she shall have my resignation effective immediately."

"Fei, we should…"

"No, I've made up my mind. Nothing you can say will change it." His voice is back to the whisper he started with. "Open that for me, please." He gestures to the pouch he placed in my palm a moment ago. I do as he asks, dumping two gold bands into my hand.

"I just wish this would have come as a surprise to you. We've seems to just botch this whole night up."

"My fault…"

"Mine as well."

"Wufei?"

"Yes?"

"Ask me again?" My voice is shaky, I'm not sure he's going to or not, but it's worth a shot.

"Duo Maxwell, will you marry me?"

I nodded my head, looking down to the bands that lay in my hand.

"They're dummy rings. The ones I've ordered will not be done until next week. I would never give you such a plain band."

"I'm a simple man, Fei."

"You're the most complex man I've met, Duo." He chuckled lightly at my side. I place the bands back into the pouch, drawing the string on it closed.

"Duo?"

"Yeah, Fei?"

"Take me to the hospital now. I think I broke my hand on a stud in the wall."

Yup, this night is one for the books.


	7. It Came From the Garage 1x2x5

Title: It Came From The Garage  
Written for**beatofdestiny**  
Theme + Number: Foul Stench #74 Dinner Party #48  
Genres: general  
Warnings: language, gross stuff! Not for the faint of stomach people!  
Characters/Pairings: 1x2x5  
Word Count: 1041  
Rating: R  
Thanks to Steph for beta reading for me very quickly!  
Summary: It's the day of their 1st anniversary, but everyone is turning up sick!

I knew something was wrong before I even accepted the call on the vid-phone. Call it intuition or just plain dumb Murphy's Law; something was bound to happen today. I left both of my lovers in bed this morning; both with sleepy grins on their faces while I went into the office just for a few hours. Loose ends needed to be tied up before the weekend started.

Wufei and I have been planning a dinner party to coincide with our first anniversary, leaving Duo in the dark. I'm sure he'll love the surprise that will be waiting for him tonight when he gets back from work.

The face that greeted me wasn't at all what I was expecting. My dark haired lover looked sick, literally green around the gills. I've never seen Wufei sick in the entire five years that I've known him.

_Damn it, not today!_

"Wufei? What's the matter?"

"We're going to have to cancel the dinner party tonight, Heero…" Wufei's thought was cut off with a lurch of his stomach; his hand being thrown over his mouth before disappearing from the vid screen all together.

"Shit! Wufei are you all right?" I should have taken the retching sounds in the background as my answer.

"Fei, if you can hear me, I'm on my way home. Lie down in the bedroom until I get there." I ended the call quickly, picking up my briefcase and jacket on the way out the door.

As I pull into the driveway, I find Duo's motorcycle still in the same place I saw it last when I left this morning. Wufei's jeep didn't seem to be moved either. This didn't set my mind at ease as I slammed the car shut and walked quickly to the front door.

Before I could even put the key in the lock, the foulest stench I have ever smelled assailed me.

"What the hell?" I muttered bringing my jacket up against my face, hoping it would atleast filter some of the putrid smell. How wrong I was. My stomach started to pitch and roll, my eyes watering severely. My hands fumble with the lock and knob, finally pushing the door open wide as I run to the nearest place I can safely allow myself to be sick, namely the kitchen trashcan.

After violently losing my light lunch, I wipe my mouth with a dishtowel I found thrown carelessly on the counter. I can still smell it lingering within the house somewhere. I keep the towel with me as I make my way through the house looking for my lovers.

I find Wufei first, lying on the cool tile of the bathroom floor. His hair has come loose from the tie and is sticking to his sweaty forehead.

"Hey," I kneel down next to him. "How are you feeling?" His dark eyes open, blinking up at me in his misery.

"You don't look too hot, yourself." He says before closing his eyes again.

"No one would with that disgusting smell. Do you know what it is?" He shakes his head, groaning slightly.

"No clue. Duo got sick first this morning. He was only gone for a minute before he came back in and headed straight for the bathroom."

"Didn't even make it to his bike, eh?" I chuckle a little, running my fingers through his hair.

"Whatever it is, that shit that's reeking is in the garage. I went to close the door and I was hit by it. Smells like rotting flesh." I can hear his stomach bubbling as he recites.

"All right, let's get you into bed. and I'll go check it out." He nods weakly to me as I help him up and down the hallway to our bedroom where I find Duo sprawled across the bed, his head hanging over the edge in the wastebasket.

I sigh knowing I'll have to cancel the dinner party that we've worked really hard on while trying to keep it a secret from Duo. It's going to take hours of phone calls.

With the towel still clenched in my hand, I raise it to my face in a makeshift gasmask and enter the garage. The garage is a collection of motorcycle parts in various stages of rebuild, our bicycles and miscellaneous junk we've collected. The smell is so rancid I'm not sure if I should still seek it out or run for the hills while I'm still able to. That's when I notice how hot it is, the familiar buzzing of fly wings that beat fast. Thousands of flies clinging to the walls and windows making it look as if they were alive.

"Fuck." I hiss, muffled by the towel that is now not helping me at all. I grab a hold of the tarp that is thrown on the floor lifting it swiftly out of my way when I feel it snag on something.

"Shit, I hate this crap." I rip harder, the tarp giving way and the carcass of a large rodent falls out along with more flies and maggots.

I don't remember getting back in the house, but I found myself on the cool bathroom tile with someone washing my face with a cool cloth.

"You okay, Heero?" It's Wufei's voice that meets my ears.

"Ugh, no…what time is it?"

"Six o'clock." I start at the time, trying to pull myself up. I still have people to call; I can't have them walking into this…this mess!

"Don't worry," He says, stroking my hair out of my eyes. "I've taken care of it. We're meeting everyone down at the beach. While we're there, I have a cleaning service of sorts coming to clean up the 'mess' in the garage."

"You saw it?"

"Yeah. The thing probably snuck in the garage while Duo had it open and it got stuck and finally met his death." I shiver at the thought.

"I'm sorry this isn't the best anniversary. I just wish…"

"Shhh…" He hushes me with his calming voice. "Don't worry about that, let's worry about getting Duo up and ready in the next hour."

"That will take a miracle." I snort.

"So will airing out this stench. Nataku help us!"


	8. One Wet Vacation 1x2x5

The day had started out beautiful enough, but the black rain clouds soon over took the skies, sending Duo, Wufei and me running for shelter back at our cabin.

"Shit, whose idea was this anyways?" Duo growled, stripping off his wet shirt and tossing it into the growing pile of wet clothes.

"That would have been mine." I snapped out, tossing my sopping socks towards the pile with a wet thunk.

"Well it sucks." My longhaired lover drops his jeans to his knees, trying in vain to kick them the rest of the way off.

"You have anything to say about this?" I turn on my Chinese lover, discovering him already down to his dark briefs. He shakes his wet hair out of his face before shrugging.

"Why should I have anything to say? It's not our fault that the weather is awful this time of year." I catch a hint of sarcasm to his voice.

"How was I supposed to know that it was the rainy season?" I flop down on the couch, staring at the bare fireplace.

"You forgot to add cold, bug infested, and wild animals to your list." Duo adds, wringing out his saturated hair.

I snort, shaking my head. "I didn't think you'd scream like a little girl over a squirrel." He glares at me, throwing his braid over his shoulder before leaving the room and slamming the bedroom door in his wake.

I sigh, sinking further down into the cushions, praying that the bad weather would end, but knowing it would be endless. I thought about canceling the rest of our getaway, and just heading back to the city where we could be miserable in our own home. I feel the cushions on my right sink inwards, my dark haired lover looking as upset as I am.

"It's not your fault, Heero." He wraps an arm around my shoulders, his eyes straying towards the fireplace as well. "I think you're trying too hard to make up for our anniversary."

"It was ruined." I whisper, shivering slightly with the chill inside our cabin. I probably wouldn't have noticed it was becoming cold if it wasn't for the near naked state we were all in.

"Shit happens and there isn't any way we can stop it when it does. I'm sure Duo will be back to his old self once he gets some nookie." That puts a small smile on my face. Duo was always happy as a lark after going a few rounds in the bedroom or living room…you get the picture.

"It's going to be a cold night without any firewood." He nods towards the empty wood box near the fireplace. I've forgotten to grab some dry wood in between the rain showers today.

"I'm sure we can think of many ways to keep ourselves warm and comfortable." I noted, catching a gleam in my lover's dark eyes.

"I'm not sure about comfortable, but warm we shall be." He gets up, pulling me along with him to the bedroom door where our other lover has gone to sulk.

We find Duo stretched across the bed, naked as the day he was born with a smile on his face, stroking himself slowly.

"And here I thought you guys would never come in here." His smile grew along with other parts of our anatomy.

I'm sure you can guess what kept us warm on that cold night.


	9. Seeing Stars 1x2x5

One thing usually leads to another, or so I've been told. A week after our disastrous vacation, and two after the stinky garage incident, I got a call at the office from the local emergency room asking me permission to treat one Duo Maxwell.

To say my heart was in my throat was an understatement! I quickly told them to do what ever they needed and I'd be there as soon as I could get there. I only managed to snag my phone and car keys before I was bolting out of my office, leaving everything else behind.

I tried several times to contact my dark haired lover to no avail. I'm not sure if he was in the middle of class or forgot his phone all together. I wanted to throw the phone out the damn car window when it rang.

"Yuy."

"Heero, I'm on my way." I let out a sigh of relief at the sound of Wufei's voice on the other end.

"I've been trying to call you! What happened? Do you know?"

"Sorry, my phone was in the Jeep. I didn't get the voice mail until ten minutes ago. I called the principal, but she told me to go down to the E.R. for Duo." He sounded a little shaken and I heard the gears grinding in the background. It seemed that he was trying too hard to get to the same destination.

"Don't drop the transmission out of that Jeep! Duo will skin you alive if he has to fix it." I heard a rough snort from the other end before I he disconnecting. I'd rather he paid attention to the road than try to talk to me anyway. At least I knew he was on his way.

I was parking my car when I spotted Wufei pulling into the parking lot, tires screeching on the pavement. He pulled the Jeep into the first available parking spot, throwing open the door and slamming it shut just as quickly as he arrived.

"Wufei!" I shouted to get his attention, waving my arm from the next row over. His hair tie was missing, letting his long hair tangle and get in his eyes. I cut between cars, and grabbed a hold of his hand when he held it out for me.

We said nothing as we walked up to the entrance. The sliding doors gave way, and a gush of overly cold air hit us. My Chinese lover detangled his fingers from mine, taking the lead to the registration desk that sits off to the side of the huge double doors.

As Wufei talked with the lady at the desk, I watched nurses coming and going, and little girl with a huge knot on her head leaving with her parents. It didn't seem to be a busy day here, so why were we waiting in the hall.

"Come on," Wufei tugged at my sleeve. "He's down the hall on the left." He slapped the door release on the wall, hauling me down the hallway by my shirt.

"Damn it," I knocked his hand away from the now wrinkled material. "I'm coming. It's not like I can get lost here." I growled out, my fear now shining through the calm exterior I'd put in place. He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, and I was thankful that he didn't snap back at me. Suddenly he's cut in front of me, going into the room I expect Duo to be in.

Lying on the gurney was my longhaired lover, mumbling to a nurse that was at his side. She looked up as we entered, and smiled at us as we drew near. He looked like he went a few rounds with an Oz solider and lost. Both of his eyes were black and blue, nose swollen around the white tape across it. I smiled at the white cotton shoved up his nostrils. He didn't look any worse for wear.

"Don't tell me you dumped your bike again," Wufei asked, leaning down to swipe away a few bangs from Duo's eyes. I heard the nurse laugh lightly on her way out the door, which kind of surprised me.

"No, you wouldn't believe me if I told ya," Duo mumbled out, as his blue eyes were going between Wufei and myself.

"Well, if you didn't do that, I'm sure what ever you did wasn't too bad." I said, as I reached down for his hand, lacing our fingers together.

"I was getting the little rug rats ready for recess when I noticed my shoe untied. Well, I bent over to tie it when I got smashed in the face with something. Boy, I tell ya, I saw stars for a minute. I tried to shake it off, but I guess that didn't work. I woke up here."

"Kids hate you there already?" Wufei smirked and I chuckled a bit, but I could tell Duo didn't find it amusing.

"It's not funny! The nurse told me that Sarah, one of the kids was here, too. Seems she ran straight into me. I hope she didn't get hurt too bad."

"No, I saw her leaving with her parents. She's going to have one hell of a headache, though."

"Yeah, you look like you got the worst of it, anyway. Think you can sit up?" I asked, placing my hand under his neck.

"No problem. I'd be happy to get out of here and go home." He mumbled as I lifted him up into a sitting position.

"I'm sure you'll be happy to get those tampons out of your nose." Wufei laughed, a smile spreading across his face. I could feel my laughter starting…

"Shut up! This isn't funny at all!"


	10. Pretty Princesses 1x2x5

I could kill Duo for doing this! I can't believe he just volunteered us to watch Hilde's two little girls without asking Wufei and me first! Here we are, the weekend after the vacation from hell and we're dressed up like fashion princesses!

"Nattie, please! No more rouge or I'll look like a clown!" My dark haired lover is protesting the next application of a highly dark blush across his cheeks. I bite my tongue hard, not wanting to laugh. Wufei was already looking like a misfit clown that even Cathy's circus wouldn't hire

I look to my left where Duo is sitting back against the couch, legs folded as Ashley ties blue ribbons into his long tresses. They haven't assaulted him with makeup yet, but he does have a purple feather boa wrapped around his neck.

I simply can't believe this! How could two little girls have us dressed up in boas and pearls, ribbons and heels? I'm sure Duo is still pissed that I refused to even put on the mini skirt that the girls brought out from their Mother's closet.

"I swear, Wufei, if you have something planned for next weekend that is this…"

"Heero, nothing could top this weekend." He groused back with a frown to his brightly painted red lips. The girls have made him look nothing like the princess they were trying for.

"Fei, you look like a who.."

"Duo!" I snapped, glaring at him for even thinking about saying such a thing in front of the little ears around us. Wufei just huffs, blowing a small puff of air into his loose hair.

"Umm, yeah. He sure does look pretty." He finished lamely in defeat as his eyelids are now shadowed in navy blue. Totally not his color! It's almost the same color as the fading bruises are. I laugh to myself before I'm slammed with the makeup case from hell!

I can hear my lovers laughing as Ashley starts plastering makeup on me and Nattie is painting my fingernails. I only hope that Hilde and her husband get back soon! I was handed a mirror fifteen minutes later. I wish that they hadn't after catching my reflection. My eyes were shaded an ugly color of green, bright red cheeks and my lips looked the color of Relena's limo way back when. My fingernails didn't look half bad but the blue lacquered skin had to go.

I prayed that the restaurant burned to the ground, that the movie theater was over run by rodents, but none of them were answered. The parents of the two whirlwinds have finally arrived home at quarter to two in the morning.

"I'm going to need turpentine to get this crap off of my skin." I hear Wufei's complaint, the same as mine. I nod in agreement. I couldn't wait to get home and take a very long shower to remove all of the sparkly crap that now adorned my body.

"It's not that bad." Duo laughs behind us, his hair still full of curlers and ribbons. Both Wufei and I give him hard glares. He just snorts, shaking his head.

"Could have been worse. They could have made us shave our legs."

Yes, but the disaster has been diverted for another day. Next time, Duo will be babysitting by himself.


	11. 831 1x2

'831, Heero'

Those are the numbers that always followed one of his reports or transmissions to me for years. Was it some type of code? I wasn't sure. I tried for the longest time to figure it out, but always came up empty handed. That set of numbers is now engraved in my wedding band, numbers that I will never forget.

It wasn't until Heero was injured in a firefight at a remote satellite against some renegades that thought they could break our world peace that I found out what those three numbers really meant to him and to myself. 

He lay in my arms, his blood slick on my hands as I tried to hold pressure to a bullet wound he took in the shoulder. The bullet that was meant for me.

_"Heero, stop moving! Wufei's team is cleaning up the rest of the mess. Fuck, where's the medic?" Duo yelled, watching the back up teams escorting men out in zip cuffs._

"831, Duo."

"What the hell does that mean, Heero? You've been using that set of numbers for the last five years" Duo growled out, watching as Heero sighed, his eyes falling closed.

"Damn it, Heero! You better tell me or I'll beat it out of you!"

"You'd beat a friend that is already down?" Heero chuckled weakly, his right hand trying to latch on to Duo in some way.

"That depends. Are you going to tell me what it means?" Duo reached over with one of his bloody hands, grasping Heero's tightly in his.

"Eight letters. Three words. One meaning." A small smile spread across Heero's lips, tightening his grip on the braided man's hand.

"Great! You've become the Riddler with the blood-loss!"

"Just think about it."

And thought about it I did. All through out the shuttle ride back to L-1. It didn't hit me until I was walking down the hallway to the recovery area Heero was placed in after his surgery to repair the damage to his shoulder.

_I love you._

The eight letters, three words and one meaning. 

I entered the room, watching him sleep for a while before I got the courage to shuffle myself to his bedside. I wiped my sweaty palms against my uniform pants before reaching for his hand.

"831, Heero." I whispered, rubbing the pad of my thumb against the top of his hand. "I think that I always have and always will." 

His fingers twitched in my hand before he spoke, a small smile gracing his lips.

"I was wondering when you were going to figure that out."

"Don't be so smug! I would have figured it out, eventually. I think a more direct approach would have been better."

"I'm sure it would, but I wanted to be original, mysterious."

"Yes, the mysterious Heero Yuy. Get some rest, we have years of catching up to do when you get out of this place." I smoothed his bangs out of his eyes, before leaning down and brushing a chaste kiss against his lips.

Boy did we really catch up on those years!


End file.
